Coffee concentrates are increasingly in demand for commercial and/or industrial purposes. A typical area of use of such liquid coffee concentrates, is in coffee dispensing machines. Many of such machines do not operate by freshly preparing a coffee extract, but by adding hot water to a form of an industrially manufactured coffee extract. Thus, such machines dispense coffee either by reconstitution from soluble coffee particles, or by dilution of coffee concentrates.
The term “coffee concentrate” has a given meaning in the art, as referring to aqueous concentrates, having a dry solid matter content of from 15% to 55% by weight (which dry solid matter is present in the concentrate largely as liquid-soluble solids). These concentrates are sometimes also denoted as “liquid coffee concentrates.” This refers to the state, generally at ambient temperature, in which the concentrates are used in practice (as flowable, preferably pumpable liquids). In many events, the stable storage of such concentrates requires cooling, and more typically freezing. Therefore, coffee concentrates which are used in liquid form, are frequently also indicated to be frozen liquid coffee concentrates. Hereinafter, the terms “coffee concentrate” and “liquid coffee concentrate” are used interchangeably, and these terms include coffee concentrates in a liquid form as well as in a frozen form.
A continuing challenge in providing coffee from machines, as mentioned above, that operate on the basis of coffee that is not freshly extracted, is to make coffee that bears a sufficient resemblance, particularly in respect of aroma, to freshly extracted coffee. This challenge is even more pronounced in the event of dispensing coffee of the espresso type. Espresso is a type of coffee drink that is traditionally brewed by forcing pressurized water of approximately 95° C. through a coffee bed of finely ground beans. Due to this specific type of processing a specific kind of coffee drink results, having a typical flavor that cannot be just attributed to using specific beans, blends of beans, and/or roasting level. To produce a coffee having a recognizable espresso flavor, such as taste and/or aroma, without freshly using the specific espresso brewing process, is notoriously difficult.
Typical developments in making dispensing machines for espresso-type coffee drinks, are devoted to machines operating by freshly making an espresso brew, e.g. from roast and ground coffee for use in such machines. However, it would be desired to also provide espresso that can be just obtained from a dispensing machine that does not itself apply an extraction process, but which just operates on the basis of diluting a pre-existing, e.g., industrially prepared, liquid coffee concentrate.
A liquid coffee concentrate suitable to make an espresso type of coffee is not available in the art.
A background reference on making liquid coffee concentrates is WO 2007/043873, which describes a process wherein roast and ground coffee is subjected to a dual extraction, whereby a secondary extraction is carried out at a higher temperature than the primary extraction. The method as disclosed, e.g. involving aroma recovery and high water to coffee ratio's, is suitable for preparing liquid concentrates having an improved coffee flavor/aroma. The method as disclosed, however, does not result in an espresso-type of coffee concentrate.
It is desired to make a liquid coffee concentrate that is suitable for providing an espresso-type of coffee brew. It is further desired to provide such a liquid coffee concentrate in an economically viable process. A particular desire is to provide a liquid coffee concentrate with improved sensorial characteristics.